Stillwater Area School District Shifts Three Principal Positions, Rolls Out Two-Year Plan

The has rolled out a variety of changes to its central services and administrative team due to .

One of those adjustments resulted in moving three elementary school principals to other schools in the district.

Malinda Lansfeldt, current principal of , will now be the principal at Andersen Elementary School. Mark Drommerhausen, current Andersen principal, will take her place as principal of Lily Lake.

Ginny Kruse, interim Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Stillwater Area Public Schools, will be reassigned to the principal position at for 2012-2013. She will fill a vacancy due to the resignation of current principal Dawn Wiegand.

Superintendent Corey Lunn said the shifts reflect the employees’ strengths to address specific needs in the district—and are not performance-related.

The Andersen principal position will be combined with district-level responsibilities including the implementation of the K-6 STEM program, Lunn said. Kruse will provide Oak Park with extensive knowledge of the district, and this solution allows for flexibility to make changes down the road as the district’s budget allows.

Click on the PDFs to the right of this article to read the letters sent to parents of students at Lily Lake, Oak Park and Andersen elementary schools.

“We’ve done a lot of reflection on the changes being made throughout the district,” Lunn said. “We always want to make sure that changes like this are right for the schools while also moving the district forward. I’m confident we are now in a better position to focus on bold opportunities and results for our students.”

Added Responsibilities for Director of ALC

ne the director of Alternative Learning Center (ALC) position with district-level responsibilities.

Don Kirkpatrick will remain the director of ALC, taking on additional duties, including alternative programming needs such as targeted services, credit recovery and online alternative curriculum.

Central Services Leadership Changes

As part of the budget adjustments, several central services positions have been eliminated, and a few positions have been reformed.

Some of the district’s elementary and secondary leadership positions related to learning, curriculum and professional development will be filled temporarily during the 2012-2013 school year, with more permanent changes to come in 2013-2014, Lunn said.

The Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning position will be eliminated for 2012-2013. Chris Lennox, who currently fills that role, will serve as Executive Director of Instruction, Professional Development and Secondary Curriculum.

The district is also hiring for two new positions: executive director for elementary curriculum, innovation and leadership; and coordinator of learning supports.

Instead of filling the open position of Coordinator of Instruction and Professional Development for next year, the district will hire a temporary Dean of Students for Stillwater Area High School to help as the district develops and transitions to its new secondary model and programs, allowing SAHS Principal Ryan Laager to do program work at the secondary level.

According to district officials, these shifts and additional positions “are cost-neutral and are part of a larger plan that will cut $350,000 from the central services staffing budget.”

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